Sporting v Arsenal in the Champions League this evening.
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By Tony Attwood
It is strange that Arsenal were the only side ever to win every single one of their Champions League games in the first set of eight matches, and yet virtually no one mentions that in their build-up commentaries. Rather than focus on an extraordinary, unique, positive achievement, what we got were comments about two domestic cup defeats in which at least half the Arsenal squad were cut to shreds by injuries. (Well, ok if not half, it was still quite a few). But then, ’twas ever thus.
Yet we must be fair, since no one else is, and we note that Sporting have won all five of their home European games, including games against Club Brugge and Paris Saint-Germain, so they obviously need to be treated very seriously.
So now the key issue is which of the injured players can Arsenal nurse back to full strength in order to play tonight.
But to move on, the first bit of good news is that Gabriel Magalhaes is fit, along with Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard. On the negative side it seems thatJurrien Timber is still not ready to play, but might just be ok for the second leg. Definitely out also are those we have already noted: Eberechi Eze, Piero Hincapie and Mikel Merino. Although you might like to note that no one is quite clear about Saka. He is either definitely out or definitely in, depending on the newspaper you choose to read.
But of course, all eyes will be on Viktor Gyokeres, whose form has improved dramatically as he has settled in London and got used to Arsenal’s style of forward play, exactly as Arteta predicted he would, and the naysayers predicted he wouldn’t.
And in thinking of such things, we shouldn’t forget that injuries can hit all teams, as Sporting have some injury worries of their own. These include three players who are definitely out: Nuno Santos, Fotis Ioannidis and Geovany Quenda. Local media is also reporting that Luis Guilherme is unlikely to play because of an ankle problem, but Ivan Fresneda has recovered from an illness. Morten Hjulmand is suspended for this match for being very naughty.
Looking at the possible Arsenal starting XI Sports Mole, who normally know a thing or three, suggest….
Raya;
White, Gabriel, Saliba, Calafiori;
Zubimendi, Rice, Odegaard;
Martinelli, Gyokeres, Madueke
Football 365 tell us that Mikel Arteta’s men are starting to look less than convincing. And maybe that is so, but such comments tend to have the problem that they only reflect the past, and although the past does influence present performances, virtually all clubs do change over time. They say that Saka has travelled with the squad to the game and is fit. So someone is not getting the prediction right (and it’s probably me).
But let us consider also the Premier League. At the start of the year, after 19 games, the league table had Tottenham not exactly setting the league alight but sitting comfortably in 12th and being predicted by many pundits to be ready to make some advances up the table. A European place was once again talked about. They had a positive goal difference and were seen to be ready to move back up.
But now if you take a pek you will find Tottenham are not 12th but down in 17th, battling things out with the almighty West “we’ll take the Olympic stadium if you give it to us for nothing” Ham. So the lower reaches now look like…
The Evening Standard is very clear on the Arsenal recovery issue, proclaiming that “Declan Rice is set to hand Arsenal a major boost for tonight’s Champions League quarter-final clash with Sporting.” And if that is right and he is fully fit, that is indeed going to be a major boost for Arsenal. And we should also pause to think of the implications of issues like this for the opposition. Because of Arsenal’s injuries, they don’t know who they are going to play, so it is harder for them to evolve their plans for the game until the teams are handed over one hour before kick-off.
The Mirror confirms the news and adds that “Leandro Trossard and Saka have also made the trip to Portugal.” Meanwhile, The Standard offer us a team of
Raya;
Mosquera, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori;
Zubimendi, Rice;
Madueke, Odegaard, Trossard;
Gyokeres
Yahoo Sprots come up with something a touch more radical, if not actually revolutionary….
Raya;
Timber, Mosquera, Saliba, Calafiori;
Zubimendi, Rice,
Ødegaard; Martinelli, Gyökeres,
Saka
So just looking at three websites, we’ve got three different line-ups with a clear indication that Saka is injured and a clear indication that Saka is starting from the off. Oh what jolly japes these journalists have at our expense. It is almost getting to the stage where you can’t believe a word they say!
I think it is on Amazon Prime, but the way they shuffle matches around these days, one can never be quite sure! It’s on the radio if you haven’t got the right TV subscription.
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Sporting v Arsenal in the Champions League this evening.
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